Happy Halloween everyone!~ This is for One Piece Halloween Fanfiction project on tumblr. You can more stories and probably fanart as well for this amazing project there.
Enjoy~
"Okay, I still need a coffee table, microwave and a mirror… Maybe some new cups wouldn't hurt either," Sanji muttered to himself, looking through his shopping list one more time.
Usopp and Franky were walking behind him as they strolled over the narrow aisles of the second hand shop. They had volunteered to help Sanji out with his moving and getting all the new things he needed. Even if the blue haired man and the long nose had offered to quickly make some of the furniture by themselves, the blonde had still insisted to go and buy almost everything from second hand shops. Sanji liked it how his belongings had a story of some kind behind them. It was something that he had learned to live with and respect thanks to his old man Zeff.
Sanji was already 28 years old and had been about to settle down with his fiancé, a lovely and gorgeous woman he loved more than everything. But life had had other plans for him. The chef had messed up with his business and money situations way too much to be able to fix them silently. He'd took too many loans from the wrong people and couldn't afford the paybacks when needed. Sanji had tried his best to cover up his blunders but it was easier said than done. He'd worked hard to gain all the money but it didn't seem to be enough, no matter what he did. The blonde had had to lie to his fiancé about numerous things because of the situation and of course she eventually found out what was going on. And she wasn't happy. At all.
Sanji's fiancé, Isabella, had kicked him out after she found out what kind of a mess the blond man had caused around them. She would have been okay with the money situation but the endless lying and hiding proved too much for her. So she broke up with her boyfriend, breaking their both hearts.
Sanji tried to act all brave and strong but really he was completely wrecked inside. He couldn't sleep during at night and also working seemed harder. The man missed Isabella so much. But on the other hand he didn't feel guilty since he did it to protect his beloved restaurant. It was a risk to open the new restaurant but Sanji didn't let that take the better of him. He could pull through this. He had to.
The cook sighed heavily, completely lost in his thoughts. Usopp and Franky exchanged looks behind his back but didn't say anything. Sanji had been acting like this for a few days already. Everybody had tried to make him talk but the stubborn man refused to tell the real reason for his break up. They believed that he would talk eventually… It was just painful to look from afar whilst their dear friend suffered from something that was definitely much bigger than just "drifting apart from a lovely lady".
Sanji was lucky to get a rather good apartment so quickly. It was near to the city centre and also close to the restaurant, the rent wasn't too bad either. It was almost like it was too good to be true. His former class mate from college was kind enough to offer his old apartment for rent. That way Sanji wouldn't have to pay so much and the other man would get some extra money. The apartment was large enough to fit two people living in there, however Sanji didn't have any intentions to take someone he liked with him. Not just yet at least.
The blonde suddenly stopped walking down the store aisle, causing Usopp to almost hit his back.
"Hey, watch it!" the long nose yelped, coming to stand next to Sanji. His eyes followed Sanji's straight to a big and old-looking mirror. "Man, that's one nice mirror," Usopp gasped, stepping closer to the said object which was resting against the dirty grey wall.
Franky peeked over their shoulders and hummed in agreement. "We could always fix the frames a lil' bit. Just some fresh paint and ah, almost like a new one!"
Sanji however shook his head. His eyes were glued to the mirror, like it was trying to suck him in. He could see their reflections, slightly twisted by the thick layer of dust on the silver surface, but there wasn't anything out of ordinary. Yet still Sanji couldn't stop staring at it.
"Nah, I think it's good like this. If I wanted it to look like a new one, I would buy it from the super market," he finally said.
Franky and Usopp shrugged at each other and dropped the subject. Their friend was always so weird with these things, wanting everything to have a story and look old and used, more or less. The said man stalked closer to the old mirror, searching for a price tag. It wasn't even that expensive, good for him since he didn't really have that much money in plus. Long and pale digits ran along the carved, dark brown wooden frames indelicate and respectful strokes. The mirror looked like it could have been hundreds of years old. But thc, of course it wasn't. Otherwise it wouldn't be there for sale for such a low price.
He kneeled down in attempt to check the frames all over for possible bigger damages. It looked perfectly fine and well-preserved except some little cracks here and there. The mirror surface itself was completely undamaged, only covered in dust, and that would easily be taken care of.
"I will take this one," Sanji said after a long silence and stood up. "It's only 15 dollars anyway. I can't find anything this good for that price in the decoration stores."
"That will do then," Franky nodded and went to inform the shop keeper that they would like to have the mirror packed safely.
The three of them continued exploring the store for a bit longer and managed to find everything Sanji needed. After an hour or so they were out of the store, Franky's van packed and ready to go. The blue haired man was sitting behind the steering wheel and pilled on the drive way and then main road. The two other men were squeezed on the two front seats and were currently arguing about Sanji's situation.
"I don't get it why Isabella got to keep the apartment AND all of your stuff! That's just unfair," Usopp retorted in annoyance. He never had liked that woman anyway.
"I can't let a lady go without a roof above her head or anything else in that matter. I volunteered to leave."
"Yes, and that is exactly what I don't understand," Usopp huffed, crossing his arms. "You could have at least shared the furniture."
"I just didn't want to make it harder than what it already is, okay? I'm completely fine with this current arrangement," Sanji sighed, ending the argument with that.
The truth was that Isabella didn't leave him any other choice other than to pack his clothes and leave the house as soon as possible. He had tried to beg her to think it through one more time but she didn't take back her command and just gave a cold shoulder about it. And what was Sanji to say no to the most beautiful woman in the world and who he loved deeply. Of course he couldn't stand up against her words. He needed to respect her decision, he was the one who fucked up after all.
The Saturday afternoon went quickly. Sanji and his friends busied themselves at the new apartment, ranging things to their right places and cleaning a little bit. The blonde cooked a big and rich dinner for them as a thank you for all the hard work they did for him. Now Sanji could manage on his own. Though it was going to be his first night in the new home and he felt a bit anxious, sensing the loneliness creeping into his mind ever so slowly.
"Are you sure you don't want us to stay over the night?" Franky asked casually but still gave Sanji a slightly worried look. They were about to leave but he wanted to make sure that his friend was going to be all right.
"Yes, yes. I appreciate your concern but really, I will be fine," Sanji sighed dramatically and walked the two men to the front door.
Sanji gave them a reassuring smile to convince them that he was going to survive. The blonde could only hope that his friends would buy it. And for his luck they did, or at least they acted like it. At the same time he tried to make himself feel better as well. It was going to be a rough night.
Franky glanced one last time at Sanji before patting his shoulder and heading out of the apartment. Usopp followed him right after telling the blonde to call him if he needed anything or just wanted someone to talk to. Sanji rolled his eyes and chuckled at the words. He was really close friends with Usopp but dear God, there had to be some limit for all this sappiness. The cook finally shooed the black haired man out before he started clinging on the poor blonde.
Sanji was exhausted to say the least. His stomach was full of good food, fresh and clean sheets were waiting for him in the bedroom. Quickly he took a warm and relaxing shower before diving between the sheets. He let out a satisfied sigh when his head hit the heavenly soft pillow. The room was already dim, the autumn sun already set down. Sanji's eyes roamed the tidy, new room and tried to adjust to the new environment the best he could. All the new sounds and noises would certainly keep him awake for a long time. In the end his eyes landed on the old, large mirror right opposite to the bed. It was now free from dust and was shining in the little amount of light that came inside the room through the curtains. The blonde man could still see his reflection on it. His pale face glowed in the plain light, highlighting the dark circles around his eyes.
Once again those blue eyes stayed glued on that mirror, observing his own reflection and those beautifully carved frames. One thing however caught Sanji's attention. On the top frame was carved something that didn't fit the pattern. The man tried to narrow his eyes in the dark in attempt to see what it was. After a moment of squinting his eyes and almost causing a headache, he gave up and turned the lamp on beside the bed. Easily he jumped out of the bed, his feet making a soft noise when connecting with the cold wooden floor. Slowly the cook stalked over to the mirror to take a better look. He had to stand on his tip toes to be able to see the frame properly. There was some kind of writing on it, in really old-looking and fashioned font. Sanji had no clue what it said, it was some language that he didn't know. Weird… Vaguely it reminded him of Latin but he couldn't be sure.
Sanji pursed his lips in disappointment. If that text really meant something, it would have been nice to know what it said. Now it would just bother him. Well sure, of course he could easily search for it on the internet but he didn't quite trust that shit what they had to offer. He was way too pedantic to just let it hanging as a poor guess based on some shitty internet translation. Those could be really awful sometimes.
Arms crossed Sanji kept staring at the text, curly eyebrows knitted. He would HAVE to find out what that damned writing meant. He would probably just call Robin tomorrow and ask about it. Beautiful Robin-chan was always so smart and she was a history professor at the university after all. Usually Sanji wasn't this desperate to find things out that slightly bothered him, but for some reason he couldn't just leave this be. After giving one more glance at the frame, the blond man went back to bet and tried to get some sleep, even if it was easier said than done.
The next morning was like a living hell for Sanji. He slept in thanks to the poorly slept night and he didn't have time for anything else other than to quickly get dressed and run to the bus stop and wait impatiently for the next bus. In the end Sanji made it to the restaurant even though he got some disapproving looks from his employees. The whole day was one big, messy rush. By the time the tired cook got home it was already dark outside and the cold autumn wind was blowing around, making its way through Sanji's clothes and biting his skin. Shit, well now it was perfect. He felt extremely grumpy when he got home and just let himself sink in the comfortable couch. It was rather depressing to come back and be faced by an empty apartment, TV as his only company.
Sanji completely forgot about his "mirror mystery" and just watched some mindless TV-shows to empty his mind from all the stress. After small dinner he fell asleep on the couch. The sleep was heavy and dreamless but after the midnight he suddenly jolted awake, panting heavily and cold sweat breaking on his skin.
"Fuck…" Sanji murmured and rubbed his temples.
The blonde blinked rapidly, trying to calm down. He didn't even know what woke him up. One moment he was sleeping peacefully but then next he felt like suffocating. He looked out of the window to the dark night. The wind was blowing madly, almost ripping trees from their roots. Sanji stood up and went to open the window slightly. The freezing air invaded the living room, surrounding the still unsteadily breathing man. He shivered slightly but still kept the window open. The blue orbs behind his golden hair observed the empty streets below him. No one was out there, of course.
Sanji stood there at the same spot for a bit longer before closing the window. He was freezing now and shivering all over. He rubbed his arms and strolled over to the bedroom to resume his sleeping. He felt slightly nauseous but brushed it off when his eyes crossed the mirror. His own reflection was staring straight back at him. Without thinking any further Sanji went to grab a pen and note pad to write down the text from the mirror frame. Tight away when he saw it his brain filled with the anxious need to know the meaning behind it. It was completely mad, he knew it. Hastily he scribbled down the foreign words and ripped the paper from the pad before going to put it into his wallet. He would call Robin during the lunch break to get some peace from the whole thing.
The rest of the night wasn't any better. Sanji's subconscious was filled with strange dreams where he was being watched where ever he went and whatever he did. Those disturbing dreams kept haunting him until the alarm clock finally went off, freeing the poor man from the dream land. This time, however, Sanji had his mind on the original plan: to call Robin at the lunch break. Maybe that was the reason why he couldn't get any proper sleep and felt so weird. Well, that combined to the stress he had been sporting for a while now.
Sanji was almost completely back to his old self immediately after stepping inside the restaurant. He greeted everyone and offered the most charming smiles to the female chefs and waitresses. The morning was busy with paper work and orders. The cook also tried to solve his financial mess a bit more to be able to keep those nasty men away from him. It was frustrating how he had to take such baby steps with it to make it better. He absolutely hated it. And he couldn't ask help from his old man either; he would be furious and just scold him for messing things up, not to even mention that Sanji almost made the creditors go after Zeff as well.
Sanji spent the whole morning in the office and since he wasn't working in the kitchen today he could keep his break whenever he wished. He went to prepare a simple salad for himself before going back to his office to have his peace. And no matter how much his mind and body itched to call his beautiful friend, he did not rush with the lunch. No matter what the situation is, you would always have time to enjoy your meal and appreciate the flavours.
While slowly munching on his salad, Sanji fished his walled out of the shoulder bag that was lying neatly on the floor next to the desk. With one hand he took the piece of paper out of its leather pockets and unfolded it, smoothing out all the wrinkles. He read the strange sentence over and over again in his mind, trying to get a hold of it. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't just magically understand that language.
After finishing the lunch Sanji took his smart phone and searched the right number from the long contact list. He cleared his throat before pressing "call" and bringing the phone to his ear. The familiar peeping sound went on for a good moment before the phone was finally picked up in the other line.
"Nico Robin speaking," came the coldly professional voice.
"Ah, Robin-chan! It's Sanji."
"Oh, Sanji-san. Good to hear from you. How's your new apartment? I heard from Franky that you found everything you needed," Robin's voice softened.
Sanji could feel his shoulders tensing up at the question. As much as he loved his lovely ladies, they could still make him feel uncomfortable.
"Oh, it's really nice. Really spacy and in good shape. And yes, I did find everything. I had good little helpers," he answered, keeping up his cheerful tone.
"Hm, that's good then," she hummed in the other end. "So, what gives me the pleasure to have you calling me today? Do you need help with the decoration after all?"
"Oh, no, no. Thank you for the offer though. But well, it kind of has something to do with decoration. I bought this pretty old mirror from the second hand shop and it has one sentence carved onto its frame. And I don't understand what it means," Sanji explained, playing with the little piece of paper on his hand.
"Oh?" was Robin's only answer, expecting Sanji to continue. The blonde could hear her taking a better position and getting some books ready.
"Okay so, I think that it's Latin so I really have no idea what it means. And it's a really old mirror, looks like at least a hundred years old, maybe more…" the cook continued babbling and described what the mirror looked like. He could hear Robin turning the pages of the books and taking notes, just out of curiosity.
"So, what does the sentence say then?" the raven head finally asked.
"Oh yes, wait just a second," Sanji rushed to say, completely lost in his blabbering. He took the paper closer to his face and read it out really clearly and slowly: "In morte ultima veritas est, veritas in omni re vincit."
There was a long silence after that. Robin clearly wrote it down and went through the translation.
"Very well. I don't sadly know anything more about the mirror right now but I can tell you what the phrase means. A rough translation is: 'In death is the greatest truth, the truth will conquer all.' Not the most popular Latin phrase, I have to say," Robin explained calmly.
"Well that's not creepy at all… I bought some weird ass mirror…" the blond man mumbled over the phone. "Ah, pardon me for my language," he added quickly, as if just remembering who he was talking to. "Thank you so much for your help, Robin-chan!~ You're just as smart as always!"
Robin chuckled in the other end and moved her books around.
"It was pleasure to help you with it. And if you have anything else on mind about it, you know where to find me," and with that Robin hung up, leaving the line mute.
Sanji put his phone away and stared at the paper on the table. He had written down the translation under the original sentence. He rolled the words on his tongue over and over again, repeating the phrase. The cook had already imagined it to mean something… a bit cooler and less creepy. Oh well, you can't always win. And now when the information was out he felt so much calmer again, all the previous nervousness and freaking out long gone. Even all the stress about the break up, moving and financial situation was gone. Sanji didn't pay any mind on those though. When they weren't there he didn't need to have to worry about them all the time. So he stood up and stretched his stiff limps before getting down to work, deciding to help in the kitchen. Also his co-workers noticed the change in his behaviour. But no one brought it up since they liked to have their boss happy, it meant better mood for them as well.
The rest of the day passed by quickly in a good mood. Nothing reminded Sanji of the huge amount of stress that was piling up on his shoulders just on the very same morning. And now he would just go home and spend a calm evening with a good glass of wine and a romantic movie.
But what Sanji didn't know was that at the same moment when he said out loud those Latin words, the carved text on the mirror frame started glowing red, deep dark red. The light from it spread all over the frames, following each elegant carving and ornament. Then, just for a second, a dark feature flashed on the mirror surface. And as suddenly as it had started, it all stopped and the mirror went back to normal, as if nothing ever happened.
Sanji indeed spent a calm and relaxing evening. For the first time he didn't feel anxious at all in his new apartment and he really liked it. When he now took a better look, the whole place was actually really nice and homey. He will be fine. Everything will get better.
Days, and then weeks passed. Sanji was completely back to normal, expect some dark moments at the nights' late hours when the bad memories came back to him in his dreams. His life was good and the financial situation was slowly getting sorted out. But the weird and disturbing dreams kept coming to him, always haunting his mind. He would wake up sweating and panting, sometimes screaming. But never did he remember the dreams he had. He could only remember a blurry picture of a man with golden eyes that would flash red as a wide, predator-like smirk would spread on his face. The man talked to him but Sanji never remembered those words.
The cook didn't even notice it but he had started to spend more and more time in front of his mirror. He could stand in front of it almost for half an hour, just looking at himself and fixing his clothes. But always he kept looking at his own eyes. Sometimes he even said a few words to his own reflection but immediately felt stupid about it and shook it off. However, what really was weird was that it didn't really feel that weird to talk to the mirror. One day he lost himself in his thoughts in front of the mirror and stood there in front of it for two whole hours without even noticing it. He was startled back to the reality by a ringing phone. Otherwise he probably would have stayed like that for much longer. He started to get worried about the situation and himself but didn't dare to talk to anyone about it. The blonde didn't want anyone to think that he was going crazy. He wasn't mental! He was just... stressed. Yes, that must have been the reason for his behaviour.
This went on for three months, the moments with the mirror getting longer and more worrying. Sanji started to talk more to himself while looking at the reflection doing exactly the same things what he did, mimicking him perfectly. Sometimes it felt really unreal, like the man in the mirror wasn't really Sanji but still was.
One night Sanji came back from work really late and headed straight to the bed after a quick shower. For a moment he stood stark naked in front of the way too familiar object, looking at his slim and pale body in the dim light. He tilted his head slightly, observing more closely, taking in every single detail. After a few minutes he hummed lowly and went to finally put his pyjama pants on and crawled under the covers. Just after he had turned a lights off he saw something. The blond cook frowned and scanned through the room but didn't see anything. He shook his head and sighed. He stayed way too long at work today…
He was about to press his head on the pillow when something flashed in his vision again, this time staying there. Slowly Sanji lifted his head up and looked straight forward, right at the mirror. His eyes widened in disbelief and shock, a silent yelp escaping from his lips. His slender hand flew immediately to the lamp to switch it on but unfortunately that didn't make the shadow in the mirror disappear. And actually it wasn't even a shadow. Now Sanji could see it clearly, still frozen in complete shock. There was a strange man, standing inside of the silver surface. The man was staring straight at Sanji's eyes, locking him in his place on the bed. Those eyes were almost golden and the hair on the man's head was green, almost mossy green. He was well toned and had a scar over his left eye and three earrings decorating his left ear. The cook stared at the mirror utterly shocked, a panic rising inside him. But he couldn't turn his look away, he recognised those eyes. They were always in his dreams. And the same smirk was now slowly curling on the mirror man's lips.
"Good evening, Sanji," the man said in deep, almost husky voice.
Sanji finally snapped out of his trance-like state and jumped out of the bed, backing off against the opposite wall. He stared at the mirror in horror. The fucking mirror spoke to him! And that fucking mirror has some fucking strange man inside of it! Sanji's legs were trembling madly and he had to lean against to wall to not fall on the floor. What the hell was going on?! He wasn't able to let out even a single word out of his mouth, he just stared at the mirror, well, more like at the man inside there.
"Aw, don't be so jumpy. I was kind enough to come to greet you after all these months. The least you could do is to greet me back," the green haired man chuckled playfully, an evil tone in his voice.
"Uh…" was all Sanji could say at that situation. The freaking mirror man was really talking to him.
"Ah, how rude I am! Sorry, I totally forgot to introduce myself. You can call me Zoro. I'm here at your service, or more like your company. Thanks for activating the mirror, by the way. It was been a while since I last got to communicate with other," the man continued casually, leaning on the inside of the frame, hands shoved in the pant pockets.
The terrified cook kept staring, his lower lip shivering. That's it, he was really going crazy. What was wrong with him?!
"What's wrong with me…" he muttered out loud.
"Oh, plenty of things when you start really thinking about it. But now it's not time for that listing," Zoro said mockingly, seemingly enjoying way too much Sanji's reactions.
Something in Zoro's words made Sanji snap back to the reality, letting his body relax as he slid down on the floor. He sat there for a long while before finally standing up and slowly making it to the mirror. He stood in front of it but didn't see his own reflection. Instead he saw this man, Zoro, smirking wickedly. He swallowed thickly and gathered every last piece of his mind together to be able to form some speak.
"W-Who the fuck are you?"
"Tch, I just introduced myself. Your memory is worse than troll's. But you might want ask that WHAT am I, hm? Well your answer to that is a demon. A demon of mirrors, a mirror demon, whatever you want to call me," Zoro explained while picking his ear, looking extremely bored. "So in other words, your new best friend. As much as I don't want to have a curly brow like you stuck with me…"
Sanji scowled at the words, especially the last ones.
"Then why the hell are you here then? Jesus… I'm going completely mental," Sanji groaned and runs his fingers through his hair.
This whole situation was so messed up that he didn't know what to believe anymore. He had a demon in his room, and in his mirror nonetheless. And the demon was talking to him and Sanji was talking back. Oh well, he was probably ready for the mental hospital now. He glanced warily at Zoro, as if trying to make sure that he didn't just suddenly jump out of the mirror and attack him. He wouldn't even be surprised anymore, the situation couldn't get any weirder.
Zoro sighed dramatically and straightened up in his full length, showing off his board chest like that. He studied Sanji's expressions and studied his every movement and gesture. He had already been watching him ever since his mirror got into his house, even already in the store where Sanji saw it for the first time. The blonde man's soul pulled the man towards the mirror, refusing to let go. So it was only matter of time when he would activate the mirror and a curse in it. Zoro had learned to know Sanji's every single secret, even the darkest ones that were buried deep in his mind and soul. This was going to be interesting…
"I have the pleasure to tell you that, no, you're not mental. Just a little stupid," the green head finally broke the pressuring silence in the room. "If you don't believe me then just feel free to continue your life, I won't go anywhere. I will always stay…"
After those words Zoro disappeared from the mirror, his words ringing in Sanji's ears. Always there… Something twitched inside Sanji's gut. Was it horror or panic? Or perhaps… excitement? He didn't know anymore. He stepped closer to the mirror and touched its cold surface. It was completely solid and there was nothing wrong with it. He run his fingers along the frames and felt something warm and yet cold spreading inside him. The feeling was unpleasant but the cook couldn't bring himself to stop. So he ended up standing there again, this time also caressing the cursed mirror, for a few hours. He didn't remember going to the bed, nor did he remember anything else in that manner. Everything felt so unreal, like one of those strange dreams.
When the morning came Sanji woke up with a jolt. He pretty much bolted out of the bed and straight at the mirror, looking at it madly. He checked it thoroughly but didn't find anything abnormal. He let out a sigh of relief, maybe it really was just a dream, just a bad, fucked up dream.
Nothing weird happened during the morning either but Sanji still felt extremely paranoid. Now the feeling from his dreams, that someone was watching him, was there even when he was awake. It creeped him out to no end and it was stuck in the back of his mind even at work. He tried to pull it off smoothly but failed miserable. The poor man was extremely jumpy the whole day and kept glancing over his shoulder. The other staff of the restaurant found this really weird and tried to ask if their boss was okay. But every time Sanji would just smile nervously and reassure them that he was completely fine. Being outside of his home was absolutely nerve-wracking.
When his shift was over, Sanji ran back home, too paranoid to take a bus. He locked himself inside of the apartment and stormed to the bedroom, burying himself under the blankets. The feeling was much stronger here. It was eating him out. Something inside him was itching to just go and look at the mirror but he was too frightened and stubborn to give in and do that. Sanji was completely lost with his own mind. He was never like this. He wasn't this weak.
"Welcome home."
Sanji yelped at the sudden voice and peeked from under the blanket, his eyes immediately fixing to the mirror where the familiar man was standing and looking at him. Fucking shit! It wasn't a dream after all! But however, the nasty feeling inside him faded away when Zoro appeared. Warily the blonde revealed himself under the blankets and shuffled to the other end of the bed, a bit closer to the mirror.
"What do you want from me?" Sanji managed, fighting to keep his voice steady.
Zoro chuckled darkly and tilted his head. "Nothing in particular. Only to have some nice little chats with you. Like about your lovely Isabella. Or maybe even Zeff and your dead mother?"
Sanji sat on the bed, completely dumbfound. How the hell did he know about those persons?! It can't be possible that-
"I know everything about you, so don't bother your curly little brain. I know everything," Zoro interrupted Sanji's frantic thinking.
"I don't believe you. You're only some kind of sick creation of my imagination!" the blonde yelled at the mirror.
"Oi! That hurt! It would be awful to be from your imagination, really. It's a weird ass place, you don't even know," Zoro replied sharply, gritting his teeth. "Fine. You're 28 years old, you lost your virginity when you were 17 and then you lost your ass virginity when you were 19. You messed with wrong people and got your restaurant screwed for money. Is that enough information?"
Sanji's face flushed bright red when Zoro started pulling out the most private facts about his life, something that only a few people knew. But of course he would know if he was Sanji's imagination. He was about to say some nice comeback but something in the demon's eyes caught the words in his throat. Those eyes flashed red just for a second and that made the blond man calm down and just nod.
"So… Demon roommate, huh? Shitty mirror…" Sanji mumbled and kept his eyes on Zoro's, unable to turn his look away.
Neither of them said anything else. Sanji kept sitting on the bed, the blanket around his shoulders and the demon was calmly staring back at him. He was going to be calm with this. This was always a long process. They spent the rest of the day like this. Sanji didn't even leave to eat dinner. His eyes were dazed by the power radiating from Zoro.
Eventually Sanji got too tired and snuggled better in his bed and fell asleep, his mind feeling numb. He didn't know what was happening but really he didn't even care right now. When he was near to Zoro the nasty feeling inside him was gone. That's the only thing that mattered right now. He didn't want to experience that feeling again since it was eating him alive.
The night went along slowly. Sanji's dreams were filled with Zoro's whispering voice. The voice was telling him things about his life, all detailed and showing that the demon really knew everything about it. Even what the most minor things that happened in his life, like for example what kind of pencil Sanji liked to use the most when he did his exams in high school, or what kind of bread like preferred. The green head kept whispering all these things in the dreams, not giving the tired man any peace. He was sleeping, sure, but the voice still kind of kept him awake since he wasn't sure that was it real or just in his subconscious.
The next day the cook had really hard time trying to wake up for work. But he didn't have any other choice. But when he got out of the apartment the same feeling was back, clenching around his guts and mind. But he pulled through the day, hardly though. He told his co-workers that he was just a bit too stressed and maybe he had caught a flu or something. Sanji did his best to act normal and brush off the voice in the back of his mind. He wasn't going crazy, no. He just needed something else to think, something else to do. Maybe a night out would do the trick. So, the blond man ended up asking his co-workers out to the bar round. Most of them agreed to come, in need for some stress relief as well.
Sanji didn't want to go home after work so he worked until they closed the place and headed to the closest bar. It was full of people and the stressed man got a good opportunity to let out some steam. He did his best to forget about the voice in his head telling him to go back home. He wouldn't listen to some stupid voice! He had his own will. And what if he had some shitty demon in his house?! He wouldn't let that creature control him, only over his dead body, and gladly not even then.
The whole gang ended up getting really drunk when the night passed, including Sanji. He didn't even need to drink much before he was completely wasted. He was dancing with some random women and sometimes men, having as much fun as he could. Turned out that even the alcohol could take away his disturbing feelings so Sanji decided to try some other way: sex. A little moment of meaningless sex with a person who he would never see again. That usually worked, right? Well what could he say, he was desperate. He wanted to be free from his own mind. So, he ended up hitting on a gorgeous woman who was really eager to grind on Sanji on the dance floor. Before the blonde even knew it they were already fucking sloppily in the bar's restroom.
As much as Sanji wanted the drunken sex to help him, it only did the job for a moment, until the rush was over. Now he just felt sick and tired. The night ended up soon and his friend offered him a ride home since he was in no condition to walk home. Sanji didn't really remember anything about the ride back, he was half asleep already. But somehow he managed to stumble his way out of the car and to his apartment, refusing his friend to come inside.
With a lot of noise Sanji made it to the bedroom, falling straight on the bed. Zoro appeared in the mirror and gave the drunken man a pitiful look.
"You really got wasted, didn't you? And apparently had some extra fun too, hm? Tch, pathetic humans. Disgusting," The green head commented coldly.
Sanji only growled as a response, getting slowly pissed by the demon, his words and his shitty power over him. He pushed himself up and with unsteady legs walked over the mirror, looking at Zoro angrily.
"Shut the fuck up, you shitty demon!" he slurred.
"Well what can I do about it if you're so pathetic? You just go around and try to make your ego bigger but in reality you're nothing. You're just a man led by his instincts, lust and other cravings. What could this make any better? You know it yourself, it will just make you feel worse, Sanji. It won't help you," Zoro stated calmly, having a sharp edge to his voice.
Sanji's face was flushed by the alcohol and now also anger. He grabbed the nearest hard object he could find, which happened to be a book. He swung his arm backwards to get more power to the up-coming hit. His face was twisted in anger and he was about to throw the book at the mirror but his hand stopped in the midair. Their eyes met and Zoro's flashed read again. Sanji held his hand up with the book, arm shaking slightly, trying to fight against his mind. Angry tears were now falling down his cheeks. He couldn't do it! He wanted to but he just couldn't. He knew that Zoro was just telling the truth. He knew what Sanji was going through, he knew what he thought and what would probably happen. And Sanji fucking hated that. The demon knew him too well. He had the abnormally huge power over him.
Slowly Sanji lowered his hand, bowing his head as well. The tears fell on the floor and a sob shook through his already tired body. He was disappointed to himself because he couldn't get rid of the mirror which now really clearly controlled his life, making his mind go crazy. But he was also disappointed because every word Zoro had said was true. He had failed in so many things during his life and tried to fix his feelings with pointless things, only to make him feel worse. The blonde fell to his knees and hugged himself tightly, giving up on the feeling inside him. The tight grip around him was now loosening. When he dared to look up, Zoro was looking down at him with a calm, almost soft look. And then he was gone.
Sanji stayed on the floor a bit longer, letting his sobs die down and tears dry on his cheeks. Eventually he got up and wobbled back to the bed, falling on it and falling asleep immediately, still fully clothed. This time Zoro came to whisper things about his life that he hated the most. His weaknesses and flaws. But regardless of that, the blonde slept peacefully since the demon also said reassuring words that he understood the other man. He was the only one who understood and could ever understand. And ever so slowly Sanji started believing him.
The days changed after that night. Sanji would go to work but then come home right after and sit in front of the mirror. He would tell Zoro everything that had happened during the day, opening up like for a diary. Somehow it felt good and relieving. And the demon listening to his every word, even comforted him if he had a shitty day. Slowly Sanji stopped talking to his co-workers and soon even to his friends. Zoro made him doubt them and their trust. Well more like that he wasn't good enough for them. He was cracking more and more and weeks, then months passed like this.
One day Sanji finally skipped his work shift. He texted the other head chef that he didn't feel too well and would keep the rest of the week off, just in case. But of course Sanji wasn't sick. His mind just told him not to leave the house, just stay in the bedroom with Zoro. It still weirded him out and he still tried to control himself and fight against it every now and then but it was getting harder than he thought. The blonde spend his days sitting on the floor, wrapped inside a blanket and stared at the mirror where Zoro talked to him. Sometimes they were just quiet for a long time but at other times they would talk together or then just the demon alone.
From time to time Zoro's eyes flashed red, making Sanji's mind go blurry and numb again so that the words would sink deeper into his mind, wrapping themselves around his brain, heart and soul. Yes, he could feel his soul now, or that's what he thought. Sometimes it was painful and sometimes it was light like a feather. It depended on the green haired demon's words.
Sanji didn't go to work even after that week he told he would be absent, nor did he inform his friends anything about himself. He only went outside to buy some food and other necessary things and even that was too much for him. He felt like a big clamp had gripped around his guts and heart, tightening hard around them when he was away from home. He didn't know what was happening to him but at this point he didn't care anymore. The only thing he knew was that he wanted to listen to Zoro's words. He was the only one who knew the truth about him and he would tell everything to him.
Your mother never really loved you. You were a difficult child. She was stressed and tried her best to take care of you but you didn't make it easy. She got tired, tired of you and her life without a man who had left her long ago. You caused her death. You drove her into that illness. It was all your fault.
Zoro used to say those words when Sanji was sleeping, invading his dreams and whispering them over and over again until he was whimpering and crying in despair in his sleep. It happened night after night but always the demon would calm him down.
But don't worry, it happens. You were only a child, you couldn't know. And it's all past now, buried deep in your soul, away from people's eyes. It's all right now.
That's what he always said afterwards, making Sanji feel better. The pattern was always the same but it did its trick. First Zoro broke him and then glued back together but leaving him really fragile.
One night Sanji lay in his bed, thinking about Isabella. About her beautiful face, curvy body and soft voice. He smiled weakly at the memories, letting them fill his mind. His hand travelled south under the covers, pushing past his boxers waist band, all the way to his rapidly hardening length. He gasped at the long awaited friction and closed his eyes, brows knitted in concentration. He tried to keep his mind in Isabella and her movements, imagining her above him. Slowly the blonde moved his hand along his shaft, the thumb sometimes pressing against the tip of it, making him moan lowly. He tilted his head to the side, letting out heavy breaths. His free hand trailed on his chest and nipples, giving them some attention too, making the pleasure more intense. But of course he didn't notice that Zoro was observing all of this and started talking in a low voice from the mirror, this time with different words than usually, not about Sanji's mother this time.
You lead her to danger. You messed things up in your life and made her go away and leave you. You thought that you did well, but you didn't. You lied heartlessly. You tell yourself that you did that to protect her. But did you really in the end? You might have protected her from one problem but you caused another one by breaking her heart and your possible future. You made them hurt her too. To beat her, almost kill her.
Sanji groaned in frustration when the words reached his ears. He didn't want to hear them now, not at this moment. He tried his best to ignore them and continued stroking himself. But Zoro didn't give up that easily. He kept repeating those words over and over again, making them ring in Sanji's ears.
You made them hurt her too. To beat her, almost kill her.
The cook let out a desperate sob. He didn't want to remember. He picked up the pace of his hand, stubbornly continuing and trying to overpower the sadness with pleasure, as fucked up as it was. He whined and begged Zoro to stop repeating those words, but it was no use. The green head continued, smirking in the mirror and watching Sanji struggling with himself. He kept saying more allegations, making Sanji feel even worse about himself and Isabella. The cook however did never stop his pleasure. In some sick way he got more pleasure when the demon hurt his mind while he masturbated. And when he was about to reach his peak, Zoro said those soothing words that made the blonde feel better again, to believe in Zoro… to love him…
But don't worry, it happens. You were distressed and didn't have any other options. You acted like you saw the best. You made a mistake but it's okay, we all make mistakes. And it's all past now, buried deep in your soul, away from people's eyes. It's all right now.
The last comforting words threw Sanji over the edge. He moaned loudly and arched his back, stroking himself through the orgasm as it rushed powerfully through his whole body from head to toe. Once he calmed down he closed his eyes and wiped his hand to the sheets. Some tears were still falling down, staining his pale face. He looked at the mirror and saw Zoro smiling softly at him, his eyes just as soft and understanding. The tired man smiled back weakly before passing out form the emotional and physical overload, hearing the last words in his mind.
It's all right now.
Some of the days were harder for Sanji but some were easier. During the easier ones he actually went out despite the pain in his chest. He even met his friends. Every one of them were really worried about him. He had lost a lot of weight and his skin was getting gey-ish. They tried their best to cheer him up and get him back to his normal self but Sanji didn't let them pass his thick and hard shield he had built with Zoro. One day he actually told about Zoro to Robin when they were talking alone. He had a dreamy expression on his face when he talked about the demon. The raven haired woman gave him a worried look when he heard all of that. There was really nothing they could do for Sanji.
However this thing started bothering Robin more than anyone else. Their cook friend had talked about this Zoro pretty much. He said something about him living in a mirror in his bedroom. Robin was sitting in her office room while Franky was in the living room with their little boy. She went through their conversation in her head, trying to figure out what in it sounded so familiar. After a few minutes of pondering and looking through her old notebooks some old scribble about an old mirror caught her eye. Her eyes widened slightly in realisation. It couldn't be!
She darted to her book shelves and furiously tried to find the right book. Eventually she found what was looking for and sat down to read through it. So it was a mirror demon. Robin never really believed that she would ever cross these creatures in real life, or anything supernatural in general. Of course she had high interest in all of those stories and wanted to believe in them. But this case seemed real according to Sanji's state and words.
Robin needed to do something, and fast, or the demon, apparently Zoro, would suck all the life out of Sanji. The blonde was obviously in love with him by now which was bad, he could break the mirror and that way break the curse.
Robin kept reading all the possible books about the subject and studied them carefully, making even notes. She would have to figure out how to help Sanji. She wanted to help her close friend but also see this case close. It wasn't every day you could meet a demon.
Sanji was once again lulled into a restless sleep, ending up whimpering and crying once again. This time the words were much harsher than after the Isabella scene. It was probably Sanji's the most painful memory. He really didn't want to remember it. But somehow in the back of his mind he already knew that Zoro would make it all better again, giving him the forgiveness, the absolution he so much craved for.
You didn't save him from that lake even if you could have easily done that. You just let him sink in the icy water while you watched from the edge of the ice. He begged for you to not let go but you did. You let him drown and suffer an icy death.
Sobs shook through his body as he listened to the endless words, accusing him all they could. It was an accident… It really was…. He couldn't do anything when he sank in under the surface!
But don't worry, it happens. You were both kids and you weren't strong enough. You couldn't hold him up for any longer. You did your best. He isn't mad at you, so it's okay. And it's all past now, buried deep in your soul, away from people's eyes. It's all right now.
Yes, it was past now. There was no need to yearn after it anymore. So slowly Sanji's sobbing died down as Zoro's words kept soothing him. He had his green haired demon now, he didn't need his old memories anymore nor anyone else. He loved Zoro. He knew how to handle Sanji.
This time Sanji woke up from his dreams and just stared straight at the mirror where Zoro was looking back at him with slightly surprised eyes. Usually the blonde would just continue sleeping. Neither of them said anything, just stayed quiet and gazed into each other's eyes. After a while a little smile curved on Zoro's lips, reaching all the way to his eyes.
"Go to sleep already, curly. It's all right now," the demon said softly.
Sanji nodded sleepily and returned the smile before resting his head back in the pillow and slowly falling asleep as he heard a familiar lullaby in his mind, soothing him into a dreamless sleep once again.
When the sun had gotten up a long time ago Sanji jolted awake by the sounds from the front door. Someone was ringing the doorbell stubbornly. The cook groaned and after glancing at the empty mirror he quickly put his pants on before walking to the door. He looked through the door eye and saw Robin standing there with a thick and old book in her arms. Why is she here?
After hesitating a moment he opened the door for his friend. Robin checked Sanji from head to toe with her piercing eyes, holding a worried look in them. She greeted Sanji and apologised for the interruption before walking in. She held the book tightly in her arm and gestured the cook to walk to the bedroom which was messier than ever. Dirty clothes were abandoned everywhere along with empty cup noodles, something that Sanji would usually never eat until all the other food in the world was gone.
"May I ask what brings you here, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked warily and sat down on the bed, his legs not having enough power to stay up for too long.
"I came here to help you, Sanj-san. I know now about your little mirror demon," Robin said calmly, making Sanji's eyes go wide. Oh yes, he can remember something about the conversation they had earlier that week…
"Anyway, I found a book that could help. Things can't continue like this. You're losing yourself and that's bad. No one wants you to fade away. Let me help you," she continued with a bit softer voice now.
Sanji stared up at Robin and when she sat down he shuffled a bit further away. He doesn't need any help. He has Zoro and that's enough. They all just try to get him away from him. At the moment he couldn't even appreciate their concern anymore, it just annoyed him since they wouldn't leave him alone.
"I don't need any help, with all the respect Robin-chan. I guess that your help would be to destroy Zoro, am I right?" Sanji asked a bit harshly.
"No, not in this case. The only way to destroy him would be to destroy the mirror but you're the only one who could do that. And…" she took a little pause to open the book. "…and it looks like you can't do that. So we, or actually you, could try to break the curse and bring the demon out of the mirror into this world. Then you would get your life back and also have him here by your side. How does that sound like?"
The blonde had to admit it, that options sounded really tempting. He could have Zoro here and touch him for real, have him whispering all those words into his ear right next to him. It sounded almost too good to be true. Maybe it could really work, he could give it a try. Now he felt a little bit bad for attacking Robin with his words right away without hearing her first. She really just tried to help.
"Okay… We can try that," he said quietly, playing awkwardly with his fingers. "How does it work?"
Robin showed him a yellow-ish page of the old book that had some kind of weird drawings and text that was a bit hard to understand. "Here, this is a manual for a ritual you have to do to be able to get the demon out of the mirror. You have to be really careful with it though, something could go wrong and the ritual won't work," she explained and showed all the drawings and introductions in the book. She had clearly studied about the topic earlier.
Robin made sure to explain every single detail of the ritual and tell everything she knew. She had done some more research for it through her contacts. She also had gathered all the supplies that Sanji would need for it. After the explanation she gave her bag back to him and showed the supplies: white chalk, three candles, three round rocks, three black roses and one rock bowl. Sanji eyed them warily and checked one more time how to use them. He already had his lighter for the fire so it was good. He just needed to be careful with it.
"I'm sorry but I have to leave you to do this alone. I'm not part of the curse so I can't be here. Only you can free him," Robin finally said and stood up, giving an encouraging smile to Sanji who only nodded firmly. "Please be careful." And with a kiss on Sanji's cheek she left the apartment, leaving his friend alone and only hoping for the best.
Sanji sat on the bed, staring at the objects and the book next to him. He felt really nervous. He needed to talk to Zoro about this before doing anything. He knew that Zoro loved him too so he wanted to hear his opinion as well. He just knew that he loved him too.
He went to sit in front of the mirror and looked at it, head cocked to the side slightly. He waited for a bit until Zoro's features started appearing on the surface. Sanji smiled sweetly at the man who returned his smile. The blonde was about to start explaining everything that Robin told but the green head silenced him by raising his hand.
"I heard everything she said. And I'm not sure…" he mumbled, giving Sanji a hard look. "Of course it would be amazing to get out of this damned mirror but do you trust her with this? She could have just tricked you, you can never know."
And indeed a little swirl of doubt started forming inside Sanji. But he pushed it away before it got to grow too much. He nodded firmly and showed the book to Zoro, explaining all the things again even if Zoro had heard it all already.
"I can trust her so you trust her as well. I can do this. Then we will get you free and live together for real," the blond exclaimed, giving himself some more self-esteem. He really needed all of it and also Zoro's support.
"Fine then… Do it. But you better do it right. I don't want to deal with any more shit than what I already have to by being here," the demon finally agreed and looked at Sanji's slight grin.
The cook darted back to the bed and read the book page through one more time before setting to work. He knelt down on the floor and tried to copy the complicated symbol on the wooden floor with the chalk. After that was done with all the little details, it formed a beautiful lily-like symbol. Sanji admired it for a moment before settling the rock bowl in the middle of it and the three rocks and candles in the right places around it. Zoro observed this the whole time, getting impatient to see how it would work. He just wanted to get free and live freely. He had had enough time in the mirror and this man in front of him had made him to crave for freedom and possibly being together with him. It wasn't a bad idea at all. He had grown to like Sanji, whether he wanted it or not. Controlling over his mind was tricky and interesting and he learned to understand the cook quite well. It would be easy to live with him.
When everything was done and the little altar lacked only the roses, Sanji looked up at Zoro and smiled a little bit, silently telling him that it was almost done. The last thing to do was cut the roses into the bowl and light the candles. The blond man made it all really carefully, not wanting to do any mistakes. When the candles were burning he took the old book and started reading out the spell with slightly shaking voice. He fought to keep his voice steady but it was really hard in this situation. He let the Latin words roll on his tongue, pronouncing every single syllable carefully and clearly.
The mirror started to shake and rattle against the wall when Sanji reached the halfway of the spell. He got startled by it but after recovering quickly he kept reading, making the mirror react even more. By the time he finished the spell the mirror was sure going to shatter soon so the cook hurried with the one last thing. The struggle with the lighter thanks to his shaky hands but in the end managed to light it and lit the cut roses in fire. The flame almost exploded, growing rapidly and surrounding Sanji in extreme heat, burning his skin. He screamed in pain when the fire licked his skin, devouring it and getting energy from him. His eyes were wide in terror, not understanding what was happening. The pain was unbelievable, it was burning every cell in his body, making him scream loudly. He tried to move away from the fire but something kept him down on his knees, not allowing him to flee.
Zoro couldn't do anything than just stare at the whole situation and listen to Sanji screaming in agony as the flames grew bigger and swallowed the man completely. It surely wasn't supposed to go this way! He tried to use all his powers to thrash against his eternal cage but it didn't even shatter. When he next looked at Sanji, he was gone, the flames only small ones now, dancing calmly in the bowl.
And before Zoro even had time to register it, he started to fade away as well, his body with the all the memories of Sanji. He was going back to the darkest place of the mirror, ready to wait for the next awakening. Soon everything went black, waiting for the return.
Slowly Sanji fluttered his eyes open and moves his aching limbs slightly to get the blood circulation back in order. Everything was dark around him. He sat up quickly, causing himself to feel dizzy for a moment. He looked frantically around him but he couldn't see anything, everything was so dark. He could barely see his own hands in front of him. Where was he? How long had he been out?
The cook stood up hastily and shuffled around a little bit, trying to see if there was anything by holding his hands forwards and feeling up the air but nothing reached his hands. Suddenly a blinding light came out of nowhere, taking Sanji's vision for a while. His eyes watered and ached from the suddenly light. He let out a groan and rubbed his eyes, trying to get used to the light. When he finally got his eyes to work again he was faced with a familiar sight. In front of him was a rectangle shaped hole and in the other side of it opened a view to his bedroom. But there was something off in there. The furniture were covered with white sheets and everything looked completely wrecked like it would have been uninhabited for decades. Sanji stepped closer to the hole and tried to get through it but instead he hit a firm invisible wall. Panic rose inside him as he frantically tried to get through the wall. He kicked and hit it but nothing worked.
His breathing hitched when he realised that he couldn't get out of that dark place back to his own home. What was going on?! He started screaming mindlessly for Zoro, not even knowing if he was there. He kept yelling and waited for the answer, but nothing. Only complete silence answered him. Fucking shit… He spun around to look into his bedroom again and this time someone was there. Some strangers entered his room and looked around. However they weren't all strangers. Sanji's eyes widened and jaw dropped when he saw Franky in the room with three other persons. What was Franky doing there with those people?!
Sanji tried to yell again, this time for Franky but the blue haired man didn't seem to react at all. The blonde stared in disbelief how Franky, most likely, showed around the apartment and looked ridiculous in his black suit.
"This has been abandoned for at least 15 years. For some reason no one wanted to live in this apartment. But the building is really nice and in a good shape. Same goes for this apartment. Just a little bit of fixing here and there and it will be just like a new one," Franky exclaimed cheerfully.
What? Abandoned for 15 years? No! Sanji lived there! It wasn't abandoned!
"Oh, what's this?" a strange mange asked as he walked closer to Sanji. The blonde froze at the spot and held his breath. The man was looking at something but apparently couldn't see Sanji.
"Oh yes, I believe that the previous owner left that mirror here with all the other furniture. Feel free to keep it of you want. If not, I will just throw it away," Franky replied and glanced at the mirror, not showing any signs of recognising it. What was wrong with everybody?!
The man turned to look at a woman and a young girl, grinning widely. "Let's keep it. It would look great in the entrance hall, don't you think?" The woman agreed and they talked a bit more before leaving the room and Sanji alone.
A mirror? In his apartment? And Franky didn't even recognize it nor did he show any signs of remembering Sanji. The cook's brain added one to one and realised that the ritual went horribly wrong. He was sucked into the mirror. But if he was in the mirror then Zoro would be there too, right? He tried to start walking further in the darkness but something kept him in place. He couldn't move away from that small area. Shit, that wasn't good…
Sanji was about to yell again for Zoro but then a familiar voice broke out of nowhere.
It's all past now, buried deep in your soul, away from people's eyes. It's all right now.
The blond man looked frantically around, trying to find the source of the voice, Zoro. But he couldn't find anything. He only saw his bedroom and the words played in the space over and over again, getting louder and louder every time. Sanji had to cover his ears after a minute since the voice was so loud and deep that it was threatening to pop his eardrums. He kneeled down and whined in pain as the sound got all the way into his bones and hurt his body all over. Then it suddenly all stopped, leaving Sanji in the silence again.
He dared to uncover his ears again since he didn't hear anything. He sighed in relief and was about to stand up again, his body still shaking until he heard a low whisper right next to his ear before everything went completely black.
"Mors vincit omnia."
Thank you so much for MerryAnchor16 for beta reading this monster. xD And big thanks to my dear friend Nyuu who helped me to figure out the ending for this story. I was so lost with it before that. xD Hopefully you will all have a nice Halloween full of great things, like this super angst that broke my heart. *sobs* Oh yes, and the last Latin sentence means 'death conquers all' or 'death always wins'. Thank you for reading and have an awesome Halloween!~